Marcos declares Election Day a holiday
LOOK: In preparation for the 12 May midterm elections, electoral board members and technical staff from the Department of Education Supervising Officials (DESO) conducted the final testing and sealing of vote counting machines and other election materials at a school in San Andres Bukid, Manila, on Monday, 5 May 2025. The process was closely observed by poll watchers to uphold transparency and ensure the integrity of the upcoming polls.
John Carlo Magallon
Malacañang has declared Monday, 12 May 2025, a special non-working holiday to allow voters to proceed to their polling precincts and elect their chosen candidates.
According to Proclamation No. 878, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the same day, the holiday will be observed nationwide.
“Whereas, there is a need to declare Monday, 12 May 2025, as a special (non-working) holiday to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote,” the document read.
Around 68 million registered voters are expected to participate in the midterm elections, where they will choose among 18,000 officials, including 12 senators, 254 district representatives, 63 party-list lawmakers, and 17,942 local officials such as governors, mayors, and councilors.
On 5 May, Commission on Elections Chairperson George Erwin Garcia urged President Marcos to declare 12 May a holiday to help boost voter turnout by freeing citizens from work-related obligations.
It has been traditional for election days in the Philippines to be declared as special non-working holidays.